The Hillabee Reservoir has been closed down this week according to the Anniston Star. The closure comes after videos posted online show how large the gators have grown. People who have seen them say they look about 8 to 12 feet long.

“I was in there fishing one day and I came around that first corner and all of a sudden I heard a big 'bagoosh' off to my left,” said Adam Densmore.

Densmore fishes at the Hillabee Reservoir several times a week. He said he has seen two alligators while fishing for bass with his wife and two daughters.

“I looked and I seen where all the water ripples were where he went into the water,” said Densmore. “Now all of a sudden about 30 feet from the bank, poked his head up out of the water and was sitting there on top of the water.”

Densmore said he has known about the alligators for years.

“They don’t scare me,” he said. “They don’t bother you. Just when they see humans they try to hide. They’ll dive in under the water and hide.”

He thinks it’s unnecessary that the reservoir has been closed.

“That makes me mad because now I can’t go fish the lake just three miles from where I’m at right now,” he said.

Meanwhile at Weigel’s, the local bait shop and gas station nearby, the owner said the closure hasn’t affected bait sales yet. However, he told WVTM 13 News he is worried about the effects on sales if the reservoir remains closed for too long.

“We get a lot of it here. This is a good place, good people here,” said Milton Cole. He gets most of his bait at Weigel’s before he fishes at Hillabee. It’s the last stop for bait before the reservoir.

He said he originally planned on fishing at Hillabee next weekend. But now his plans may change.

“It’s a good place to fish, but I didn’t know there was any alligators out there,” he said.

However, he’s not concerned because he brings protection out on the water.

“I usually carry something with me when I go,” he said. “I’m an ol’ country boy. I’ll survive.”